


A Fiancé is For Life, Not Just For Christmas

by Fire_Bear



Series: Walking in a Winter Wonderland [6]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: (Implications of a Verbally Abusive Relationship), Christmas, Christmas Party, Exes, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 08:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13050189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: Alfred was having fun at the Christmas party - until his ex walked in. Panicking, he tries to leave, only to bump into someone who might be able to help him...





	A Fiancé is For Life, Not Just For Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zeplerfer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeplerfer/gifts).



The party had been fun until he saw her. His ex. Natalya Arlovskaya, one of the most beautiful people Alfred had ever seen.

Alfred had agreed to come to the party with his brother who had been invited by his boyfriend. They had both been excited: it was Matthew's first Christmas with Francis while Alfred was looking forward to something fun at the end of the work week. He'd been busy, seeing as he worked with video games, creating the graphics for them. They'd been working right up to the wire for Christmas with one of their games which was going to be released the day after the party and this was going to be a celebration with his friends and family.

Up until he'd spotted her, Alfred had been having fun, chatting to people he didn't know and drinking sweet cocktails. There had been a buffet, provided by Francis and Antonio. All of the drinks were provided by Gilbert who had bought a bunch of them from the bar he worked in. Everything had been going well – and then Natalya entered the room with a man on her arm.

She looked as beautiful as usual. Her blonde hair had been pinned up into an elegant bun. A fancy, green dress curved around her, a slit in its sides showing off her long, pale legs. Natalya's usual bored expression brought memories back to Alfred, both painful and glorious. His heart skipped a beat and skipped another when he spotted the brown-haired man beside her, his arm linked with hers, a warm smile on his face as he listened to what she was saying.

It skipped another beat when he remembered the lies he'd been telling her about his love life.

Since he still had feelings for her, he'd been trying to impress her or make her jealous by telling her he'd moved on. That he'd moved in with someone, keeping it vague so she would make her own assumptions about whether it was a man or woman. Then, just a week or so ago, he'd told her about his proposal and the fact that he was now engaged. Seeing Natalya, Alfred panicked: he had no-one with him that he could introduce as his fiancé. What if Natalya asked about them? He was a bad liar – she'd see right through him!

Panicking, Alfred saw her turn towards him and he spun on his heel. He'd have to leave, go home, celebrate there with some Netflix. Matthew would be mad but he'd apologise to him sometime. Maybe he'd really love his Christmas present. All he had to do, though, was get out of the door before Natalya crossed the room-

He was so preoccupied that he didn't see someone stepping out of the way of a group of giggling women. Alfred got an impression of blond hair and the colour green before they bumped into each other. Somehow, Alfred stayed standing, only swaying slightly. The other person, however, stumbled backwards and Alfred instinctively stepped forward and grabbed them, pulling them upright. Obviously, they were surprised at this as they stumbled forward and into Alfred's chest. Shocked, Alfred quickly wrapped his arms around them in an effort to keep them both upright.

They froze, Alfred breathing heavily. Then he let go and the person began to stand up. "Oh, shit," he said. "Sorry-!" He stopped, eyes widening at the person before him.

Whoever he was, he was a darker blond compared to Natalya, the strands of hair ruffled. Bright green eyes blinked up at him, the thick eyebrows above them slowly furrowing in annoyance. The forest green shirt he wore brought out how much his eyes shone. Silver detail on the shirt made it look as though he was wearing icicles. Before Alfred could take much more in, the man scowled at him.

"What on Earth were you doing? You can't run in he-!"

Alfred suddenly remembered why he had been in such a hurry, the English accent kick-starting his panic again. He didn't dare look behind him and, instead, simply grabbed the man by his shoulders. "I need you to be my fiancé!" he exclaimed.

The man stilled. He blinked at Alfred. "What?"

"I- My ex is here. I told her I've got a fiancé but, I mean, I don't. I just need you to pretend for a little while. _Please_. I don't want to look..." Alfred shrugged helplessly and, realising that he was still holding onto him, released the poor man. "Actually, maybe-"

"Is she the blonde woman coming in this direction with a determined look on her face and a green dress?" the man interjected.

"Uh, yeah. Probably."

"I see." The man paused for just a split second – enough time for Alfred to start worrying – before nodding once. "Okay. Quickly: what did you tell her about... well, 'me', for now?"

"Huh?" said Alfred, his eyes widening.

"Come _on_ ," the man hissed, frowning up at Alfred. "She's getting closer!"

"I... uh... I met 'you' in Japan. Uh. They live in England. Or they did. Moved in together. A doctor of some sort. Um... Um, um. I-I can't think-"

"Forget that! What's your name?"

"Huh? Oh! Er, Alfred F. Jones."

"Right. Alfred... I'm Arthur Kirkland."

"Alfred!" came a call and Alfred spun to find Natalya bearing down on them. Unsure what to do, he froze. He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt arms wrap around one of his own as Arthur pressed against his side. A hand patted his stomach and it jolted Alfred from his panic enough that he was able to respond.

"Nat!" he cried, trying to sound as cheerful as possible despite the pain coursing through him. His chest ached from the knowledge that she wasn't his any more. The presence of the seemingly nice man at her side made the pain seem like it pierced his heart several times. "I wasn't expecting to see _you_ here!"

"My boyfriend's friend was invited."

"Hi!" said the man beside her, holding out his hand. "I'm Toris. And you're, uh...?"

Taking his hand, Alfred shook it. "I'm Alfred. I, uh..." Should he explain that he was Natalya's ex?

"Al," said a voice, jolting him from his dilemma. A hand shook his arm and he looked down to find Arthur frowning up at him. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Oh! Yeah. Uh..." Alfred took a deep breath. He committed himself. "This is Arthur. He's my fiancé."

"Oh?" said Toris, lighting up. He held his hand out to Arthur who extricated himself from Alfred to shake it. "It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," said Arthur as he shook Toris's hand firmly.

"Who's got the engagement ring?" Toris asked as he let go, his tone joking.

Alfred almost stopped breathing in his panic. "Uhh..." he said, his hands twitching at his side.

"Well, you see," said Arthur, smoothly. "Al's proposal was a bit... impulsive. We were both surprised by it." Arthur chuckled and Toris joined in. Glancing at Natalya, Alfred noticed that she was frowning; he honestly couldn't tell if she was convinced. "Since he proposed not that long ago, we're having to save up for a ring." Arthur turned to him then and smirked. Alfred's jaw almost dropped at what that did for the man. "Maybe I'll get it for a Christmas present?" he teased Alfred.

With how close Arthur was and the way he was acting, Alfred relaxed a little. Maybe this would work – if he played along. "You'll have to wait and see," he said, shifting his arm so that he could slide it around Arthur's shoulders. Daringly, Alfred gave him a little squeeze. Since Arthur couldn't use it to hug any more, he wrapped his own arms around Alfred's waist and gave him a warning pinch. Alfred grinned sheepishly at him, delighting in the quick glare Arthur shot at him. He'd almost forgotten who was with them when Natalya spoke.

"So you two met in Japan?" she asked. "I know Alfred was on holiday with a friend but what were _you_ doing there?"

"My father's business sent him there for the summer. He took me along. It was a very... fun holiday," Arthur said, sending a fond look at Alfred. The taller man was surprised at how good an actor Arthur was. Maybe that was what he actually did?

"Really? Isn't studying for medicine really difficult?" Natalya pressed.

"I took my reading requirements with me. Of course, after meeting Alfred, I didn't get as much done as I would have liked." Arthur nudged Alfred with his hip. "He's a bit of a distraction at times."

"Like now? I would have thought you'd be in the hospital."

Arthur straightened, his eyes narrowed at Natalya. "Are you suggesting that I'm neglecting my duties?" he demanded.

"Not at all," Natalya coolly replied. "It's just a busy time of year, isn't it?"

"I happen to have a couple of days off," said Arthur, shortly.

Afraid that Arthur would drag them into a fight, Alfred nudged him and gave him a strained smile. "C'mon, Artie," he said, watching the man twitch and his scowl deepen. "It's Christmas. Don't be grumpy."

"Hmph!" said Arthur, folding his arms across his chest.

"I did not mean to offend," said Natalya, her tone neutral.

"Well, you did. But I shall let it pass – since it's _Christmas_. What is it that _you_ do?"

"I'm a business executive of a major cosmetics company."

"Aren't _you_ busy this time of the year?"

"I keep on top of my work."

Arthur's eyes narrowed again. "I see."

"Nat," said Toris suddenly, turning so that Natalya had to turn to him as well. "Would you like something to drink? I'll go get us something."

Natalya mulled it over. As she did so, Alfred leaned down to mutter to Arthur. "Don't antagonise her! I still like her... You're supposed to be making her jealous!"

Looking at him out of the corner of his eye, Arthur murmured, "I don't think having a _fiancé_ will help with that. It makes it seem like you're off the market." Louder, just as Toris was turning to go, he added, "Do _you_ want a drink, Alfred? I can go get you something and you can catch up with... Natalya. What would you like?"

"Uh. Just a water?" said Alfred uncertainly, remembering how unimpressed Natalya always was when he'd been drinking sweet alcopops and cocktails. He'd switched to beer, just to keep her happy, despite hating the taste.

"Shall we go together?" Toris suggested.

"Of course," said Arthur. As they moved off, Alfred heard him ask Toris, "So, which one of these degenerates is your friend?"

As soon as they were gone, Natalya looked Alfred up and down, evidently unimpressed. "So," she said, " _that's_ your fiancé."

"Hey," Alfred protested, feeling strangely defensive. "Artie's a great guy." _Especially since he's doing this with no prior warning!_ Alfred thought.

"Mmhm. You've moved a little fast, haven't you?"

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked, heart in his throat.

"Well, it's been a little over a year since I broke up with you."

The way Natalya phrased it seemed like another knife slicing into his heart from behind. He'd been telling people it was a mutual decision so they wouldn't be worried. Only Matthew knew the truth. Alfred sucked in a breath to steady himself and shrugged. "So?"

"I doubt you got over me so fast," Natalya said, simply. "So it can't be a year since you two got together."

"We're in love..." Alfred said. He could practically feel his lie unravelling right in front of him. Natalya could probably see right through him, could hear his nervousness as he tried to carry this on by himself. Why had he let Arthur leave him?

"Where are you living? Still in your crappy apartment?"

Alfred frowned at her. "I like that apartment." Sure, it was a little small. It probably wasn't suited for two people to live in it if they wanted space to move. But it was his home and he thought it was cosy. He remembered, now, that Natalya had always complained about it when she'd had to stay overnight. Alfred had promised, time and again, that he'd find them somewhere more amazing to live when it was time for them to move in together.

"Of course. And you've convinced Arthur to live there? He must be easily pleased. Probably enjoys his time in your bed, huh?"

Turning red, Alfred shook his head. "He likes me for me, too!" he exclaimed.

"Right." Natalya clearly didn't believe him. But she didn't dwell on that, already moving onto the next line of attack. "And how's your career? Still stuck playing video games for a living?"

"I do no- I _make_ the video games, Nat! You know that. I do all the graphics and-"

"It's childish," Natalya told him. "And a waste of your life. You should really do something more worthwhile."

"I..." Alfred was at a loss of what to say. He didn't work on major games nor was he high up in his company. His income wasn't exactly high, which was why he was still in the small apartment. But he _enjoyed_ it: he loved working on each game, making them look like the concept art, getting them to move around. Whenever he got a cut scene to animate, he was super excited. But this argument was familiar; this argument was-

"That's why I left you, remember? You wouldn't try looking for a prop-"

"Hey!" snapped a voice. Alfred, who had been staring at his feet, looked up in surprise to find Arthur standing behind Natalya holding two glasses. The woman turned, bored expression still on her face.

"Yes?" she asked in a monotone.

Arthur didn't say anything. He only lifted the glass with what was clearly some sort of beer and upended it over her head. She gasped and cried out as the liquid flattened her beautiful hair, as it spilled into her eyes, as her dress darkened and soaked through. It dripped off the bottom of it and onto the – thankfully – wooden floor beneath her feet. With an expression of such fury that even Alfred was quaking in his sneakers, he pushed the empty glass into Natalya's chest, right between her boobs. She was forced to fumble to catch it when he let go and stepped by the mess he'd made.

"Here you are, darling?" he said to Alfred when he reached him, his tone dripping with saccharine.

Alfred took the glass of water, too shocked to do anything else. He wondered if he should pour it over himself so that he could wake up from whatever was going on. Instead, he took a large gulp before he said, voice hoarse, "What-?"

"Come on," Arthur said. He grabbed Alfred's hand and began to tug him towards the door. Arthur ignored the stares and the mutterings as they left. Some giggling began to be heard behind them. Then, just as they reached the door to the hallway, there came a scream of anger. "This way," said Arthur and dragged Alfred across the hall to another door. Quickly, he ran his hand along the top of the doorway and grabbed hold of a key which he used to unlock the door. He shoved Alfred through it where he stumbled down a step before he grabbed hold of the bannister, a quick glance around telling him he was in the garage. Behind him, Arthur closed and locked the door. He slipped the key into his pocket and hurried past Alfred. "Let's get out of here before she tries to kill us or something."

"What... What did you do that for?" Alfred asked, confused. On the one hand, he was horrified that his Natalya had had to suffer. But, on the other, he was glad it had happened. He felt elated at the memory of Natalya with a shocked face.

It was a very big part of him.

"Did you really expect me to do nothing?" Arthur demanded as he led the way around a Jeep. "She's a horrible woman. Who is _she_ to question your life? Besides, I heard her saying that your job's not worth it and... How dare she?!"

"Are... Did you get _angry_ on my behalf?" Alfred asked in wonder.

Arthur stopped in his tracks and turned slightly. "Maybe," he mumbled, his head ducked down so that Alfred couldn't see his face in the dim lighting. "I... I'm a writer," he told Alfred. "I write scripts for video games."

"What?!" exclaimed Alfred, stepping forward to grab hold of Arthur and turn him to face Alfred properly. Arthur looked surprised and Alfred could just make out his blush. "Really?!"

"Yeah." Arthur ducked his head down again. "What are the chances of that, hm?"

"That's so awesome! Which ones have you written for?"

"Well-" Arthur was cut off by a banging on the door. They both winced and glanced back. The banging came again along with screeching and shouting. "Francis is going to kill us," Arthur commented. "We'd better get out of here – come on."

He led Alfred onwards and to the door out of the garage. He rustled up the key from a drawer nearby and unlocked the door so they could get out without opening the shutter. Once outside, he locked the door and slipped the key into a flowerpot by the door. Grabbing Alfred's wrist, Arthur began to pull him away.

"We're going to have to leave," Arthur said. "Francis is not going to be happy and Natalya clearly isn't. And I found out that Toris is a friend of Feliks and I left him with him which he might not be happy about. Oh, and that beer was one of Gilbert's favourites so _he's_ gonna be pissed. So it's time to go home, I suppose."

Alfred stared at the back of Arthur's head, unable to take his eyes off him. His heart was beating far too fast for the speed they were going at. This man... This _stranger_ had just willingly posed at his fiancé with barely a moment's notice. He'd thrown beer over his ex who had been mean to him. Then he'd helped Alfred escape. Arthur was giving up his night to get Alfred to safety and...

Suddenly, Alfred realised he was kind of enamoured with him.

"I'm sorry for ruining your night," Alfred said, his heart now positively hammering frantically at what he was about to do.

"Yes, well, it was only a party. I've been to-"

"Can I make it up to you?"

They were at the end of Francis's street when Arthur stopped. He turned to Alfred, tilting his head to the side. "What? How will you do that, exactly?"

"How about a date?" asked Alfred, hoping he didn't sound so pathetic. "Not... Not that I'm using you to try to get over Nat but... You're kinda awesome. So, uh... date?"

Arthur paused at that, looking surprised and embarrassed. "Right now?"

"Sure!" Alfred exclaimed. "I mean, I don't think there's much open. But how about a diner so I can get to know you better, Arthur Kirkland, writer of video games?"

Snorting, Arthur shook his head. "You are... very forward, aren't you?"

"Better than going backwards!"

That won him an actual laugh from Arthur. He was beautiful when he laughed. Those eyebrows of his shot upwards to be partly concealed in his messy hair. His cheeks became rosy. Pretty lips parted to show a flash of white teeth. Alfred felt a sudden pang of regret.

"Wish we'd stayed," he said, without thinking.

"Hm?" said Arthur as he calmed down, smile still dancing on his lips.

"There was mistletoe back there."

Arthur's eyes glittered with mischief. "Hmm. Well. We can just pretend, can't we?"

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Arthur stepped close to him. Alfred lost his breath, his heart skipped a beat, eyes widened. He tried to find something to say but he was sucked into Arthur's eyes, staring at them in awe. Then Arthur darted to the side, tipped himself upwards with a steadying hand on Alfred's chest and pecked Alfred's cheek.

Once he'd stepped away again, Arthur said, "I'll give you a proper kiss if you take me somewhere nice."

"'Somewhere... nice'?" Alfred repeated.

"For our date," said Arthur, just as slowly.

"You mean...?" When Arthur nodded once, Alfred threw a celebratory fist in the air. "Yes! I am going to make sure this is the best first date ever!" Feeling more confident now, Alfred grabbed hold of Arthur's hand, tangled their fingers and, swinging their arms between him, started off down the street again.

"As long as there's no rings involved," Arthur teased him, laughing when he spotted Alfred's blush under the streetlight. Alfred's only response was a sheepish grin.

**Author's Note:**

> Just so's you know, Toris and Feliks are best friends but Feliks is in love with Toris and upset that he's got Natalya. Nobody is very pleased with Toris. Feliks is a bit drunk, so... I just thought I'd point out why Feliks was mentioned.


End file.
